


Butterflies & Hurricanes

by orphan_account



Category: EXID (Band), Mamamoo, The Ark (Korean Band)
Genre: F/F, F/F Relationships, Not a Crossover, Oneshot collection, various ratings and pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 06:17:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5956765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of short stories with different pairings, settings, ratings, etc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thunderstorm - Moonbyul/Solar (Rated G)

**Author's Note:**

> title from Muse's "Butterflies and Hurricanes". 
> 
> here's hoping I'll update this on a regular basis but I'm not promising anything - not that I don't want to, I'm just lame and hardly ever get anything done.
> 
>  
> 
> this first Moonsun chapter was inspired by Vanguart's song, "When it rains in the city / I'm reminded of you / Of that time the sky fell down / And I had you underneath me".

The windows shook hard with the last thunder. Byulyi, surprised, looked up from her notes to stare at the afternoon sky. Or the After Earth sky, if the dark, heavy clouds were anything to go by. It had been raining for hours, and it seemed as if it would never stop. Another lightning strike, and more loud thunder. Byulyi went back to the pages in front of her, sighing. She wouldn’t get anything done like this.

  
Turning to the other side, she thought of asking Yongsun if she wanted some hot chocolate, but stopped short when she realized Yongsun was curled up in bed, her laptop nearly falling from her lap as she stared out the window. She looked terrified, and Byulyi felt like the worst human being ever. She had forgotten her girlfriend was scared of thunderstorms and rainstorms in general. It had been so long since it last rained in Seoul, Byulyi simply forgot all about it. But then another thunder struck down, and Yongsun clearly trembled.

“Baby.” Byulyi called.

Yongsun looked at her, eyebrows furrowed and mouth hanging open.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Yongsun said, then glanced at the window again and back at her. She pouted. “No. I’m scared, Byulie.”

  
Byulyi stood up, forgetting all about her paper. She would get back to it later. Their room was so tiny it took her about two steps to reach the bed, perching herself on the edge and taking Yongsun’s laptop from her. She shut the lid and set it on the bedside table, reaching for Yongsun’s hand.

“It’s ok, we’re safe inside.”

“I know, but... God, this is so childish. But I can’t help it... Look, even my hands are shaking.”

Taking the hand Yongsun had offered, Byulyi brought both hands to her lips, kissing each one of them.

“Would you feel better if we watched a movie? Or maybe cooked something? We could make some hot choco.”

She didn’t answer, instead looking out the window again. Another thunder boomed outside and Yongsun flinched, closing her eyes briefly. Byulyi understood that Yongsun wouldn’t leave that bed anytime soon, given how scared she was. Her eyes were big and her mouth was always either hanging open or tightly closed. Her entire posture suggested she was a step away from curling up under the covers.

Slowly as not to startle her, Byulyi shifted on bed, coming to hover Yongsun’s body. Yongsun didn’t say or do anything, just stared at her girlfriend with those huge eyes. Byulyi took her time lowering down and pressing her lips against Yongsun’s cheek. She moved slowly to her chin, and then her nose, forehead, temple. All the while, Yongsun didn’t move. She closed her eyes, and even though she was still frowning, the trembling stopped.

Byulyi brushed a strand of hair from Yongsun’s face and kissed her, just a tiny brush of lips. Yongsun opened her eyes and pulled Byulyi down for more, and when they parted her expression seemed to have softened.

“I’m here with you,” said Byulyi over the sound of thunder. Yongsun didn’t seem to mind it, caressing the face above hers.

Byulyi moved so she could lie down beside her, their legs still entangled. Yongsun snuggled closer, burying her face against Byulyi’s neck. They stayed like that for a while, hugging each other, breathing in synch, and didn’t leave the bed even when it had stopped raining.


	2. I Miss You - SoulG/LE (Rated M)

Almost as soon as the front door was closed - with Hani talking really fast oh her phone - Solji felt hands on her waist and a gentle kiss on her nape.  
  
She smiled, "Someone is eager."  
  
Kissing her neck one more time, Hyojin nodded and breathed in the perfume on her skin.  
  
"I miss you."  
  
Solji laid the spoon down and turned around, resting her lower back on the countertop. She passed her arms around Hyojin's neck.  
  
"You see me all the time, though."  
  
"I know." _But seeing isn't enough_ , she wanted to say. Solji's smile was small, knowning, and her body pressed against Hyojin's in a mix of warmth, desire and home. It felt like home to hold her like this, but Hyojin couldn't put it into words. "But still."  
  
Solji didn't wait for her to do something about it. She leaned in, pressing her lips against Hyojin's. They were both barefoot and in their casual clothes, given that it was one of those rare days were they didn't have any schedule and the other girls did - meaning no practice. It had been a while since their last time alone. Hyojin couldn't even remember when that had been.  
  
Of course, they managed to sneak around from time to time. Between schedules, in a quick escapade to an empty storage room, a few minutes stolen in the kitchen in the middle of the night when Solji came around to spend the night. Most of the time, it almost seemed as if what they had was simply a way to blow off some steam. Meaningless sex, a pure friends with benefits relationship.  
  
But then sometimes they would manage to sit next to each other and Solji would find her hand beneath the table and give it a little squeeze; or they would be getting ready in the chaos that was their dressing room and Hyojin would catch Solji's gaze on her, the older turning around with a smile tugging at her lips. Those things made it seem like it was more than just friends helping each other out. And it made Hyojin happier than she thought it would.  
  
Solji gave a little squeak when Hyojin lifted her up, walking back to the living room. Laying her down on the couch, Hyojin didn't have to remind herself to take it slow. She had missed this, yes, but she also didn't want to ruin it by speeding things up. She wanted to feel Solji's skin on her lips and on her fingertips. Leaving kisses all over her stomach, she helped Solji out of her shirt and kissed her breasts, her cleavage, all the time paying close attention to how the woman reacted to her touches. It was stunning. Solji watched her with half-lidded eyes, lips parted.  
  
As Hyojin took off her pants, she thought it wasn't always like that. In fact, it had never been like that. Hyojin had always bossed around in her previous relationships, doing things her way. But it felt wrong somehow with Solji. She wanted to understand her, connect with her. What she wanted was to let Solji guide her to wherever she wanted. And as she tasted Solji on her lips, drank her, felt her tighs trembling in her hands, Hyojin felt complete. As if that was everything she ever wanted - to have Solji so close to her, responding to her. To love her.  
  
Hyojin climbed up the couch, leaving soft kisses along the way, until Solji brought her face closer and kissed her. It was a bit messy, and they both laughed, but Hyojin sucked a breath in when Solji's fingers found her. Looking into her eyes the entire time, Solji watched as Hyojin came undone, eyebrows furrowed, biting her lips. She always did that, suppressed whatever sounds she was making, and Solji always kissed her and pried it out of her. It didn't take long for Hyojin to slump next to her on the couch, breathing heavily, and Solji smiled as she brushed Hyojin's hair out of their faces.  
  
"You're not about to fall asleep on me, are you?"  
  
Hyojin shook her head and nuzzled against Solji's neck, arms around her body.  
  
"Great, because the kids might come back any time."  
  
"Not true, Heeyeon's probably spending the night out."  
  
Hyojin looked up, finding Solji's peaceful smile. The older said, "We have two more kids, you know."  
  
"We don't have any kids, god, I don't wanna be those devils' mother. Father." She hesitated. "Mather?"  
  
Solji laughed, and Hyojin couldn't help but smile with her.  
  
"You're so mean to them you're probably more of an evil stepmother anyway."  
  
"Shut up, I'm not!" Hyojin argued, grinning. "Wanna spend the night? We know my bed fits both of us."  
  
"Sounds good," Solji said, and when her hand found Hyojin's face and lifted it up to press a sweet kiss to her lips, Hyojin forgot what they were even talking about.


	3. A Fool For You - Hwasa/Wheein (Rated G)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> never thought I'd write hwasa/wheein. well then. 
> 
> thanks jenny bb for the plot!! love u ♥

It's way too late for any of them to be awake given that there's class tomorrow morning but their group chat won't stop. They go from talking about this and that teacher, and this and that monitor, to funny videos and gifs and when Hyejin looks at the clock again it's past 2am.

Yongsun is sound asleep on the next bed so she tries not to laugh out loud as the madness keeps going. It's not that unusual, really. Of course, it's not just her group of friends there, there are a few acquintances and friends of friends from other years but they have had this group chat going for months now, and it's usually this chaotic. She's just specially happy today.

 

 **Lee Minhyuk [2:49]** WHO THE Hell9 sENT THAT JUMP SCARE

 **M.Byul [2:49]**  i cnat stop laughitng

 **SEK^^ [2:49]**  hahshjsjajKKnakxnKSNLGKEKD

 **J Wheein [2:50]**  always at ur service!!

 **SEK^^ [2:50]**  BEST

 **J Wheein [2:50]** btw I have something to say

 **Lee Minhyuk [2:50]**  i hate aLL OF YOU ,,

 **Jihoooooonie [2:50]**  I'm never opening your links again

 **J Wheein [2:51]**  GUYS!! IM SERIOUS

 **J Wheein [2:51]**  i'm quitting college!

 

Hyejin's smile drops in a fraction of second. Her fingernails hover the screen but she can't type. There's a stream of "whaaat"s but she's frozen. Jung Wheein is the reason Hyejin even puts up with History of Cinema II every Thursday. Okay, they might not be that close, and Hyejin might or might not have opened Wheein's Instagram account way too many times without ever hitting the follow button but still. Still. They have been talking so much over the past few weeks, with Hyejin always trying her best to be where she knew Wheein crew would go so they could have more of their moments together. It wasn't that big of a deal, really, more of a crush than anything. Or that's what Hyejin tried to convince herself as she read Wheein's next words.

 

 **J Wheein**   **[2:55]** calm down, i'm not moving to the other side of the world! it's just that i always loved singing, and that was my dream growing up, to be a singer..

 **J Wheein [2:56]**  it doesn't make sense to graduate first and then try to find my path, i'll probably have lost my moment by then!! so! i'm quitting to be an idol ^_^;;

 **SEK^^ [2:56]** are u serious ㅠㅠ

 

But she won't budge, no matter what they say. All the while Hyejin is motionless, watching the conversation unfold in front of her. A notification makes her blink in surprise. Byulyi had messaged her on private.

 

 **M.Byul [2:59]** you okay?

 **M.Byul [2:59]** i mean, about wheein dropping out

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:01]** yes? why wouldn't I be

 **M.Byul** **[3:02]**  oh come on

 **M.Byul [3:02]**  i know you like her

 **M.Byul [3:02]** EVERYONE knows

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:02]** what do you mean everyone wtf

 **M.Byul [3:04]** well everyone but wheein

 **M.Byul [3:04]** and urself apparently

 

Hyejin stares dumbly at the phone in her hands. She can't believe Byulyi would think that. But the more she reads her words and the more the other chat pops up on her notifications, the easier it is to believe it. Does she like Wheein? Yes. Does she like _like_ Wheein? Maybe. And if she does like _like_ her, when is she ever gonna have the chance to do something about it again?

Her heart jumps in place when she storms out of the room and into the dark hall. Everyone is asleep and she isn't sure how curfew works if she's just going to the next block of dormitories but still, she tries her best to not get caught. She curses under her breath when she realizes she forgot to bring a jacket and the wind blows her hair wildly around her face.

The dormitories are awfully quiet, but with exams coming up, Hyejin is surprised it's not _quieter_. As she rounds the corner to Wheein's building, she raises her head and tries to lift her shoulders. She is doing it. She's not gonna stop and think about it. She can't. The school year is nearly over, what if Wheein already filled the papers to drop out? Do they have drop out papers? She doesn't know. What if Wheein isn't even in her room anymore? Oh my god. What if she's already in some distant dorm with a bunch of other trainees?

Before she realizes it, Hyejin is in front of her door. She doesn't want to risk knocking and bringing unwanted attention to her, but she doesn't want to barge in either. Only now she sees she has her phone in her hands. Bless her confused soul.

She opens a new chat with Wheein.

 

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:29]**  hey, are you in your room? at the dorm?

 **J Wheein [3:30]** yeah, why?

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:30]** oh good

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:30]** i'm outside

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:30]** of your door, i mean

 **Ahn Hyejin [3:30]** i didn't want to knock so

 

The door flies open, and a wide eyed Wheein stares at her. She gestures for Hyejin to come inside, and closes the door behind her.

The room is small, but it has the good side of being for one student only. Wheein is alone, her hair in two braids, her headphone playing a muffled song around her neck.

"Hyejin? Something wrong?"

"Yes," Hyejin sounds out of breath but fuck that. Wheein is right there, in front of her, and she looks so lovely, no makeup on, no shoes, her confused expression much like a puppy's. "Yes, something is really wrong."

She braces herself. "If you want to quit, ok. Go ahead and follow your dream, I'll support every step you take in that direction. But I can't let you go and not... Not say that you're the most amazing person I've ever met. I can be myself talking to you and I can trust you will be yourself talking to me too, which is... I don't know, I just love it so much. I love getting to know you and being your friend in general... And it took me a while to realize but maybe I wanted this to become more, to become something... I don't fucking know-- oh my god I'm the most unromantic person ever but really, I just wanted to let you know I don't want you to walk away and lose you forever and if you just let me, I'll show you what I mean, I'll try to make this something we have into something more and... That's it. I think. Okay, I said it."

Hyejin presses her lips together and waits. Her heart is dancing rumba against her ribcage and she probably fucked it all up, she rushed things and got it all wrong, but hey-- better be safe than sorry, right? She watches Wheein's face freeze in confusion first, then the way she brings one hand up and covers her mouth, and the way she smiles so condescending that Hyejin almost hears her own heart shatter.

"Hyejin, I... I don't even know what to say..."

"It's ok, I'm sorry, I just... I thought you should know, that's all. It's not like you owe me anything, right" Hyejin tries to laugh but her smile breaks as she watches Wheein cover her own smile with both hands. "I'll just-- I'll just go and set myself on fire, excuse me."

She tries for the door, but Wheein holds her arm. And bursts out laughing.

Hyejin frowns at her. "Ok, now you're just being cruel, don't laugh at me for--"

"It's not that!" Wheein says in between laughs, face going red. "It's not that, oh, Hyejin, I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you! I mean, I am, kind of, but not because of that!"

"What for then?"

"It's April Fools," she fumbles with her phone up and holds it up for Hyejin. It's the group chat, and Hyejin feels her face hot as she reads Wheein's messages sent not five minutes ago, explaining everything... While Hyejin was running through campus like a fucking maniac. "I'm so sorry, it was just a prank. I'm not really dropping out of college..."

Closing her eyes, Hyejin prays to all the gods that might hear her to just bury her right now and then. She didn't just do this. She did not.

"But it was really sweet of you... You know, coming here and everything."

Hyejin shakes her head and smiles embarrased at her, "I'm such an idiot."

"You're not! Well, maybe a little," Wheein says, laughing, and pulls again at Hyejin's arm, this time getting her closer. "But at least you did something about it."

"Something stupid."

"Something cute!"

Wheein throws her phone and headphones on the bed behind her and leans into Hyejin's personal space, kissing her briefly. It's so sudden Hyejin barely has time to bring a hand to Wheein's face before they are parting again.

Smiling sweetly, Wheein winks at her. "You had me when you said you're the most unromantic person ever."

"Really?"

"Long before that actually, but let's say that yes, really."

This time, it's Hyejin who steps closer, but it's still Wheein who presses their lips together and asks Hyejin to stay for a while.


	4. Librarian - Minju/Yujin (Rated G)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Librarians AU (the TV show, I mean, not the movies; haven't watched those yet). and if I were a tad bit better at this writing thingy I'd totally turn this into a chaptered fic.

“You want another one, hun?” 

Minju raised her eyes to meet the bartender’s. If he didn’t have such a bored-out-of-his-mind face, she might have thought he was worried about her. Which was cute, but didn’t change the fact that she was unemployed.

_Unemployed._

Even the word sounded ridiculous.

She handed him her empty glass, and he filled it up again, black painted fingernails glimmering in the dark. He slipped her the drink, leaning on the counter to stare at her.

“Rough day?”

Minju snorted. “You could say that.”

He didn’t pressure her, and she didn’t budge for a while. Soon enough, though, she met his rimmed eyes and sniffed. “I lost my job. Which is fucking ridiculous because I was the best agent in that shithole. I mean, not a shithole. It was actually a nice place until it decided to fucking dismiss--”

“Hi!” A girl suddenly plopped down on the stool next to Minju’s, cutting her off. “Hey, J, how is it going? The usual, please.”

The bartender smiled at her (and here Minju did a double take because he hadn’t smiled once since she arrived four hours ago) and started mixing her drink. Meanwhile, Minju looked to her side to find a girl that looked way too young to even be in a bar at 3 in the morning. She didn’t realize she was frowning at the newcomer until the girl laughed and offered a hand.

“Hi, I’m Yujin.” 

Skepticall and a little bit drunk, Minju asked: “How _old_ are you?”

“Don’t worry, I’m old enough to drink. Although I really am too young for the job, probably the youngest Librarian Chi ever met,” she smiled to herself as if that was and old running joke. The bartender slipped her the drink - with a tiny umbrella, Minju noted, amused - and walked away to serve the other patrons.

Minju decided to go back to her own misery by then. But she had barely turned away when Yujin said, “So!”

“So?”

“You’re Minju, right?”

All kinds of alarms went off in Minju’s head. She panicked for a second, thinking that she was probably being stalked, or followed, and maybe now she was going to be taken away or robbed or--

“I have your letter here with me somewhere, hold on a sec.” 

Yujin threw a heavy backpack on the counter and started rummaging through its contents. She pulled out something metallic that clanked against the wood, surprising Minju. It was something like a spyglass, except that with a dozen ramifications and weird ends that made no sense at all. While she was staring, afraid to pick it up, Yujin pulled an envelope from the abyss that was her bag. “Ha!”, she said, triumphant.

Instead of handing it to Minju, though, she opened it, cleared her throat and started reading. 

“' _Dear Ms Jeon Minju_...'”

  
“Holyshit, how do you know my--”

“Shh, let me finish. ‘ _Dear Ms Jeon Minju, we are pleased to inform you have been appointed as The Library’s new Guardian_ ’.” Here Yujin stopped and smiled excitedly at Minju, as if this was big news. Minju just stared at her, certain that she had drank way too much and was now hallucinating. “‘ _The honor of being a Guardian..._ ’ blah blah blah ‘... _and we invite you to The Library for further details that cannot be disclosed through this medium. Best regards, The Library_.'”

Yujin finished reading and, nearly jumping in place, finally handed the letter to Minju, who read it once to find the same thing Yujin had read out loud.

“Ok. This is the weirdest way I’ve ever been offered a job.” 

Laughing, Yujin sipped from her drink. “It’s the weirdest job, kind of.”

“How’s working in a library a weird a job?”

“Silly,” Yujin tsked. “It’s not _a_ library. It’s _The_ Library. Capital L.” 

Minju was pretty sure she was squinting her eyes at Yujin, but she couldn’t stop. 

“I don’t get it.”

“Well,” taking a deep breath, Yujin straightened her back and looked Minju in the eyes, very seriously. “Magic is real.”

There was a moment of silence between them. Suddenly, Minju burst out laughing, which only caused Yujin to flinch, surprised. 

“I’m sorry, I just--” Minju said in between laughs, looking around for the bartender for another round. “You’re seriously high, kid, and I'm sorry if Jane or Yuna put you up to this but--”

It was Yujin’s turn to frown at her. “I’m not high, Guardian. And no one put me up to anything. The Library picked you.”

Ridiculous as it was, Minju could almost hear the capital L in her voice. 

“And yes, magic is very real and dangerous. Which is why there’s me, the Librarian, and now you, as my Guardian, to help keep it under control. It’s a lot of work, not gonna lie; I haven’t seen an episode of One Piece in _ages_ \--”

Yujin stopped abruptly as if she heard something and took out an iPhone from a back pocket. Typing away quickly, she seemed to have forgotten about Minju until she stood up abruptly and collected her things from the bar. “Come on,” she said. 

“What? Where?” 

It took less than a few seconds for Yujin to walk around the counter and throw her bag over her shoulders, holding the weird spyglass thing in one hand.

“The trolls are going at it again,” she said as she palmed the wall right next to the sink. Minju only stared, speechless. “I closed the portal yesterday and they managed to open it again, so now things are kinda out of control in Paju and we gotta go there right now, or...”

“You never learn, do you?” asked a bored voice, and Minju startled to her feet when she saw the bartender walking towards Yujin as if Minju herself had been fussing behind the bar. Except that instead of kicking her out, the bartender brushed the fringe out of his face and pressed his manicured finger to a certain point in the wall. 

“Sorry, I swear I’ll get it right someday...” Yujin said as part of the lower cupboards moved aside to reveal a passage. It was so bright Minju thought for a second it was sunlight, except that the sun wasn’t out yet. Jaw hanging open, she noticed the bartender’s eyes on her. 

“You goin’ or what, hun?”

“I--” Minju looked from one to another and then to the rest of the bar behind her, the few scattered costumers completely clueless as to what was happening. She stared back at Yujin, holding the door (passage? portal? _What?_ ) open and waiting. 

“I could really use some help, you know. Fair play isn’t one of the trolls best traits.”

After a moment of hesitation, in which Minju considered if she had just lost her damn mind or if she was just passed out at the bar and having a really trippy dream, she stood up and jumped over the bar. It wasn’t smooth, given that she was a bit tipsy, but she managed to land on her feet and stare, disbelieving, from the stoic face of the bartender to the girl she was supposed to be... Guarding? 

Yujin smiled happily. “Go in after me, J will close the door.”

The bartender nodded, and Yujin went inside in a flash. Like, literally, _a flash_. Minju felt like she had just stepped into a Harry Potter movie. 

“Is this safe?” she asked “J”, and he smirked at her. 

“Nothing is, hun. But you two will do just fine.”

And with a little nod from the bartender, Minju went inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh I love Yujin and J here (who's actually also a kpop star but I'll let you guys guess who)


	5. Burning - Moonbyul/Wheein (Rated G)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was actually written for an assignment AND it was also the result of a brainstorming exercise - I was supposed to come up with a random first sentence and then try to work a story out of it. somehow wheebyul happened oops. really short and simple. AU.

Knowing she was in love was easy; acknowledging it, on the other hand, was hard. 

Knowing was a passive effort. The realization came to her easily enough, without her actually expecting it. It was a Sunday afternoon, all her close friends around her, a rare occurrence in itself. Yongsun was back in town for the weekend and they gathered at Hyejin and Wheein’s apartment to drink and catch up on life. It wasn’t a smooth process going from college students to full blown professionals, but they were all managing somehow. Then, out of a sudden, it happened. Eunkwang made a lame joke about bread and Wheein threw her head back laughing. And Byul’s mind went blank. She realized, with a jolt of her heart, that she was in love. She loved Wheein. Why it occurred to her right in that moment was a mystery; she had seen Wheein laughing countless times in the last eight years. _Eight years_. That’s how long she knew her. That’s how long it took her to realize she had fallen completely and irrevocably in love. 

Now, acknowledging it was a different matter. It meant giving up control over the situation, admitting she had failed to tame her heart. That, in fact, her heart had tamed her. It also meant that she would have to confront the reason for it, certainly? She knew she had a tendency to fall for her friends - her fling with Yongsun nearly cost their friendship - but what was this? Why had she fallen for Wheein? Beautiful, friendly, overreacting Wheein, who loved dogs and cheap beer. Why her? Why now? Why ever? 

Acknowledging also meant risking. Would she risk losing what they had for something she didn’t know was even possible? Wheein was single, yes, with the occasional one night stand now and then, and she didn’t seem to be in love with anyone else, but how was that enough? It wasn’t. It didn’t mean Byul could come crashing through the friendship they had built together over the years. They weren’t teenagers anymore, and scars were bound to happen. This was serious. And so, so frightening. 

“The worse that could happen,” Minhyuk told her one day, hailing a cab. “She would tease you about it, and then it would be yesterday’s news. Don’t be so scared.”

Byul sighed, “Easier said than done.”

“Drop the clichés and act on it. Right now,” he said, grinning at her and getting into the car. 

At the moment she had laughed, dismissing him with one hand. But there she was now, sitting across from Wheein at the hospital’s cafeteria. Wheein was wearing her baby blue uniform, hair tied up loosely in a single ponytail. This was incredibly comfortable and incredibly nerve-wracking for the exact same reason: this was Wheein. Byul knew her for so long, knew all her smiles, her gestures, even her trademark wink. And she didn’t want to lose it. Ever. 

“So,” she tried, but then stopped, unsure as to how to continue.

“So,” Wheein repeated, amused. She took a drink of her coffee, clearly trying to suppress a smile. “What did you want to talk about?”

“It’s-- I was wondering if... Uh, this is awkward.”

“Kinda, yeah. Don’t worry, the sick kids can wait until we’re finished here.”

At Byul’s widening eyes, Wheein laughed, “God, relax! It’s my lunch break, there are plenty of nurses upstairs. You sure everything’s alright?”

“Yes,” Byul blurted out, then closed her eyes, defeated. “Sorry, I’m being such an idiotic--”

She sensed movement behind her eyelids and then a light pressure on her lips. Opening her eyes in surprise, she saw Wheein sitting back on her chair, a smug smile on her face.

“I’d love to have dinner with you. I’m free Saturday.”

Byul blinked slowly before laughing. She felt the tense muscles on her shoulders relaxing. “Thank god, I’d take ages to say that out loud.”

“I figured,” Wheein took a piece of pie - Byul’s pie - and said. “Why now, though?”

There was a moment in which Byul looked at her and wondered if she should say it. If she should just come clean and confess her realization, weeks ago, almost a slip of the tongue by her own heart. Feelings she didn’t even know she had, or knew, but chose to ignore, becoming so clear to her. But right now, staring into Wheein’s brown eyes, in her oh so familiar presence, Byul knew better. She knew she had always loved Wheein, and that never changed. Because what happened there, in that day she had lost track of time watching Wheein laugh, was simply her love blossoming. They loved each other as friends, and Byul took it a step further. Love was love. It came in all sizes and shapes, and hers somehow grew bigger. Stronger. What was the quote again? _Love is friendship that has caught on fire_. She could see that, see her love bursting into flames, almost torching her heart in the process. 

Finally, Byul smiled. “Turns out I’m not afraid of fire.”

Wheein giggled, albeit with sharp, attentive eyes, and said: “Good. Neither am I.”


	6. Suited Up - Moonbyul/Solar (Rated G)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> au where Solar is a solo artist filming a show similar to We Got Married with Eric Nam but Moonbyul is one of Eric's bodyguards because why not, am I right ladies 
> 
> (not really beta'd so proceed with caution!)

She knew Yongsun only from a distance.

Actually, no. She knew Solar. Byulyi's boss called her Yongsun, which was fair - it was her real name - but Byul should stick to the stage name. Yes, that was for the best. Everyone in the team referred to her as Solar, anyway. Solar-sshi this, Solar-nim that. Eric - Byul's boss, tall, nice guy with a warm smile but terrible taste in music - called her Yongsun when they were alone. (Alone meaning with no cameras or civilians around. The security team and their managers didn't count. Never did.)

So yeah, Byul knew Solar from a distance.

At the moment, the distance was of about two meters. Solar was outside the car, one heel tapping lightly on the pavement. She wasn't listening to any music, but her lips were moving to a song. Byul couldn't hear it from where she was, sitting in the passenger's seat, to Solar's immediate right. They had been waiting for a few minutes now. Not long, but long enough for Solar's manager to be pacing around, phone glued to her ear. Solar didn't seem to mind. She was wearing a white, short dress that reached her knees. Her heels were white, too, and she had a jeans jacket thrown over her shoulders. It was getting chilly, and Byul thought it was a bit careless to walk in short dresses in this weather.  
Solar looked pretty, though.

She always did. It wasn't really a surprise to find that she looked good while dressed as if she were ready to get married on the coast. Byul smiled to herself and stopped, abruptly, turning her eyes away and scanning around her. Staring at someone and smiling like a creep was bad enough, but doing it to your employer's famous friend was basically career suicide. No one seemed to have witnessed it, though, so Byul relaxed.

The door behind her slid open, and the car shifted a bit while Solar embarked.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully. Byul replied in a tiny voice, not looking behind her.

She was alone in the car. Jomin, the driver, was still drinking his coffee hidden behind the building's glass doors, and both Eric's and Solar's managers were outside, doing the Manager Dance where they walked around furrowing their eyebrows and talking/typing on their phones.  
Solar sighed from somewhere on the back of the car. Her perfume was sweet, but not too sweet. Byul recognized it already; she and Eric had been shooting the variety for about four months now. Most of the time, Byul went to their schedules together. She wasn't exactly Gyu, a sturdy guy and also the security team's leader, but she did a fair enough job that she was a constant presence around Eric.

Plus, it looked much better to the press to have female bodyguards pushing fangirls away rather than big, muscular guys like Gyu.

"You're Byulyi, right?" Solar spoke, and Byul felt her stomach drop. She didn't remember having ever introduced herself. "Do you mind turning the radio on, please, Byulyi-sshi?"

Byul didn't know what to say - or if she should say anything at all - so she just busied herself with turning the radio on, and then the bluetooth. She didn't want to turn around, so she tried to locate Solar through the rear mirror. She could see part of her shoulder, and the white dress. She wasn't wearing the jacket anymore. As a pop song started coming out of the speakers, she thanked Byul, happily, and sighed again.

"Are you alright?" Byul asked before she knew she was even considering the words.

Solar perked up and tried to find Byul in the rear mirror. Her makeup was done, and her smile was wide when she stared into Byul's eyes and replied, "Sorry, I'm sighing a lot, aren't I? I'm just dreamy today, I don't know what it is. Thanks for asking, Byulyi-sshi."

"Good," Byul said, trying to smile back. She felt like a fool for some reason, like she shouldn't be talking to Solar. Maybe she shouldn't. But she added, "Just Byul is fine, Miss."

Solar giggled, "Oh no, no Miss, please, I'm probably older than you."

"Yes you are, Miss."

"Oh? Then please call me unnie!"

Byul must've made a face because Solar laughed, a lighthearted laugh that ended in a snort. "Sorry, I probably crossed a line--"

"You didn't, I'm the one who should be apolog--"

The door was opened abruptly and Eric hopped in, taking the back seat and greeting Solar immediately. Their managers joined in behind him, and soon Jomin was back at his seat and they were leaving the studio's parking lot.

Byul could swear she caught Solar looking at her through the rear mirror at one point, but she dismissed it and forced herself to focus on the road.

 

 

* * *

 

  
"You need me to buy _what_?"

She heard the exasperated sigh from the other end. Gyu was losing his patience, which wasn't a surprise in itself; the surprise was that he explained it again, calmly, not losing his train of thought.

" _Panties. A bra. And some jeans. Maybe a skirt, I don't know, women don't seem to mind freezing their legs off, so it's your call._ "

Byul wanted to contest. The first thing through her mind was " _but Eric doesn't wear panties. Or does he?_ " before it dawned on her. Was it for Solar? It couldn't be. Could it?

"Is this for Solar-sshi?"

Gyu laughed, " _No, it's for me. 'Course it's for her. Bring it over to the boss' apartment._ "

And then he hung up.

Byul had been in the car shop, waiting with Jomin for Eric's BMW to be released. She stared at her phone for a second too long before she pocketed it and announced to Jomin she had an errand to run. He looked quizzically at her.

"Wait for me to finish here and we can go together."

"No, that's fine." Byul shuddered at the thought of walking through a lingerie shop with him. "Thanks, I'll see you later."

As she drove the van away, she tried to reassure herself that this wasn't a big deal. If it _was_ a big deal, it wasn't _her_ deal. She tried to reason with her own brain that in the off chance that Eric and Solar were a real thing and not just TV-oriented and sponsor-seeking fanservice, they wouldn't just be ripping off clothes and asking their staff to go buy them replacements. That was just nonsense. This wasn't an American R-rated movie; this was the K-Pop industry. Two singers dating and/or boning meant secret encounters behind closed doors and most definitely not business to be dealt with their security team.

And if it was, why should Byul care? Sure, Solar was gorgeous, had a beautiful voice, was as nice a person as Byul had ever met, and had the shiniest and most brilliant personality Byul had ever seen in this industry so far. Would she have liked to befriend Solar, maybe go out with her? Most definitely. But did that mean she should be worried about her boss ripping off Solar's panties? Probably not.

Unless, of course, it wasn't in a friendly, kinky way but in a holyshit-call-the-police way, but that wasn't Eric. She was lucky enough to have a boss she actually liked - unlike the previous people she worked for, whom she wouldn't have put past anything - and she didn't see him like that. No, if they, uh, ripped each other's panties, it was consensual. (She also had a feeling that Gyu would beat the crap out of anyone who hurt a girl around him, but that wasn't foolproof.) So this was really none of her business. None.

At least she tried to convince herself of that.

She drove downtown to one of the finest lingerie brand stores she knew of. She couldn't exactly change what she was wearing, but she was careful enough to take off her blazer, unbutton her shirt just a bit and let her hair down. Byul may not be famous but the people who employed her certainly were.

All while she was parking and getting inside the store, she tried to focus her mind on what she had come to do. Which was buy a set of lingerie and some pants. She wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed by the amount of options and sizes she met inside the place. This was definitely not her kind of store. Slightly panicked, she called Hyejin, who wasn't convinced Byul really was buying lingerie for work.

_"Be serious, are you seeing someone?"_

"I swear, this is work-related. Now will you please help me out? Would a B cup fit? It's someone closer to your size than mine."

 _"Probably. Grab a C, it's safer."_   She gasped. " _Oh my God. Is Eric Nam into crossdressing?"_

Byul couldn't help but roll her eyes even though Hyejin couldn't see her. "If he were, do you think he would tell me?"

_"I don't know, maybe he bumped into your new girl and he recognized you as a member of the community and then--"_

"There's no girl! I wish she was with me, but she's not, and that's it." Byul went silent for a beat, then tried to run when she realized what she had just said. "I mean, I gotta go, but thanks for your, uh, help. Talk to you later."

"I wish she was with me?" Byul repeated out loud, surprising the girl standing close to her, going through a rack of corsets. The girl blushed and moved farther away, while Byul grabbed the peach set she had picked and walked out of there before she could embarrass herself any longer.

 

"Knock and go inside, she's waiting for you," Gyu said as a greeting.

Byul, holding two bags in one hand and the car keys on the other, raised her eyebrows at him. "Inside?"

"The apartment. She's expecting you."

"I can't go inside," Byul tried, hopelessly, knowing very well that wouldn't lead her anywhere. Gyu just grinned and pointed to the elevators, which Byul had only rode twice ever since she got the job.

Eric lived in a nice building with strict security and keypads every few meters, so it wasn't like she was always running up and down. Still, the team of bodyguards had access to the passwords in case of emergency, and, as of now, in case of my-singer-boss-needs-me-to-drop-things-off-at-his-apartment. It wasn't exactly a hassle, but this time, Byul wish she could avoid this. Avoid having to face Solar knowing she was (probably?) half-naked inside Eric's apartment. There was no denying something had happened. And Byul would rather be left out of it.

As she rode the elevator to the 12th floor, she came to the conclusion that her boss wasn't the problem. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, nor that Solar was a bad companion for him. Actually, they seemed close enough to be friends - and maybe something more? But that something more left a bitter taste in Byul's mouth. She felt silly, juvenile, like she had a crush on the girl who usually spent the free period talking to the rich boy. In that scenario, Byul wasn't even a classmate. More like the kid who went to a different, much simpler and unknown school, but sometimes caught a glimpse of Solar riding the school bus.

She rang the doorbell. From somewhere inside, Solar shouted, " _It's open!"_

Byul went inside. It was very different from the last time she was here, about six months before. There were a few boxes scattered around, two guitars taking up most of the couch, and a laptop left open on the small round table to the right. No sign of Solar. Byul cleared her throat and tried calling for her; the answer was a short, " _Inside!_ ".

She didn't want to, but she walked inside the apartment anyway. It seemed empty, and for a second Byul wondered if she should just let the bag in the living room and leave, but then Solar snuck her head out of what seemed like the guest bathroom. Her hair was tied up in a knot above her head, and she seemed surprised to see Byul there. "I thought it was Gyu!"

"No, it's-- Oh, ok. Ok."

Solar opened the door wide, and Byul saw for a nanosecond that she was wrapped only in a towel before Byul turned around, feeling her face hot.

"Here," she offered the bag to the general direction of Solar, still not turning around. "I didn't know your exact size so I hope the jeans will fit, it's way too cold for skirts so--"

"Thank you," Solar said, in an amused tone. "Oh, you got a C, how did you know?"

"I didn't!" Byul replied, mortified, "I had no idea, I called a friend of mine..."

"It's fine. I'd be flattered," Solar said, giggling.

Byul gasped and turned around, but Solar had just closed the door back on her. Staring at the fancy design on the doorknob, she may have stood there a few seconds or half an hour. She was shocked speechless. Was that…Flirting? No, it wasn't. Was she mocking her? Even more unlikely. Remembering that she was still inside an apartment that wasn't hers, Byul fled from there, trying to be faster than Solar and be out of there before the door to that bathroom opened once again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

  
Byul had enough on her mind the next couple of weeks to be worried about impossible crushes on unattainable celebrities. Eric Nam had a two-day concert schedule which sent the security team into a frenzy; there were more people walking around the backstage than there ever was at any of the events she attended. It was hard work that paid off in the end; by the end of the second concert, Byul was as relaxed as she had been the previous days, watching from the curtains as Gyu warned the people on the edge of the stage to stop pushing. She had been there the day before, and was glad to be on backstage duty once again. Her employer was singing something melodic and sweet, and the crowd was singing along in a beautiful harmony.

Attentive as she was whenever she was on duty, Byul noticed someone walking towards her from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to find Solar there, wearing sneakers and a sweatshirt. Her smile was small, anxious, and only relaxed when Byul smiled and nodded to greet her.

"Hey," Solar said, standing next to her but turning to watch the stage. She was holding her hands in front of her, twisting and turning her fingers, as if nervous.  
Byul didn't know what to say - again - so she just turned to watch the performance, too. They stood in a silence for a second or two before Solar spoke again, "Listen, I'm sorry. If I were out of line that day. Again, for that matter."

"What?"

"I shouldn't have been so direct, you were working and I just…" she sighed, but it was too loud there to hear; Byul just watched her lips parting and her chest rising. "That was disrespectful of me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." 

"I mean, just because I happen to make a mess and shower myself with ketchup doesn't give me the right to go around hitting on people who are just trying to help..."

"It's really okay. Wait," Byul frowned, looked one way then another, and tried to complete her thoughts. "You were hitting on me?"

Solar glanced at her, embarrassed. "Trying to, but I'm terrible at it. Again, I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," Byul grinned.

"Are you laughing?"

"No," Byul tried to contain her grin, but it seemed like she couldn't.

"You are! Why are you laughing?" Solar looked exasperated at first, but soon she was trying to stop herself from smiling. "I'm being serious here."

"So am I. Don't be sorry. I just…Wow. It's hard to believe it."

Solar laughed out loud, but then clasped her hand on her mouth and looked around guiltily. "I'm really terrible at it, aren't I?"

"No, it's just…You are you."

"What does that even mean?"

"You're Solar," she said, but Solar just looked at her, curious. "You're really…Uh, famous. And talented. And just…You know."

She had been on the cusp of saying "gorgeous" twice, but it seemed wrong. Solar seemed to have caught that, though, because she smirked. "I haven't topped a chart in months, I don't know what you're talking about."

Before she could contain herself, Byul laughed really loud. The audience cheering drowned the sound and she realized the song had just ended. They both clapped along, and Solar gave her one last smile, "Call me Yongsun, then." And walked away towards the group of Eric's friends.

For Byul, it wasn't that hard going through the rest of the night after that.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It would be a week before Byul saw Solar again. No, actually,  _Yongsun_. Byul was just outside the broadcast station, her work almost done for the day - or rather night, as she realized when she stepped out. It was dark already, and the entrance that led to the parking lot was crowded as usual. Mostly coordi noonas and managers, a group of drivers huddled next to a coffee truck, very few artists outside. The night was clear, warmer than it had been in days but still cold enough for jackets. Byul hugged herself with one arm as she typed away on her phone, stalling with her back to the glass doors.

She wished she could go home. She was texting her friends; Hyejin and Wheein were teasing her about being home already, and Byul wondered if there wasn't a chance that Eric would go out today. It was a Saturday night, surely he could find some friends to have a beer with? But so far, there hadn't been any words from him, and the team was still there. She could spot Jomin from where she was standing, laughing with two of Solar's-- Yongsun's assistants.

They had been inside for hours now. It wouldn't be long now, Byul supposed. She sighed. At that exact moment someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around abruptly, years in the profession not wasted on her.

"Woah, calm down, it's me," Yongsun said, smiling with wide eyes and raising her hands jokingly. "Sorry if I scared you."

"It's okay," Byul croaked, realizing she hadn't said a thing in at least an hour. She cleared her throat. "Everything alright?"

Yongsun glanced away shyly, chuckling to herself. "Yeah, I…This is gonna sound silly but let me do it, okay?"

Not quite following it, Byul nodded and waited.

"Would you..." Yongsun giggled, hiding her smile with her hand. She looked cuter than Byul ever remembered her being, tired eyes and sprayed-on hair included. "Can I buy you a drink?"

That took Byul by surprise. She felt her pulse quickening, pure anxiety-driven, and glanced at the group closest to them, talking excitedly just a few meters from Yongsun. She then looked at Yongsun again, meeting her eyes. She wasn't looking away; she looked determined, slightly giddy, but also anxious. Byul realized she had opened her mouth like a goldfish and closed it again, feeling her face hot.

Yongsun had successfully made her feel like she was 15 and didn't know how to talk to people.

"I..." Byul cleared her throat again, feeling thirsty all of a sudden. "Really?"

Yongsun rolled her eyes. "Don't start with the whole 'you're famous' thing again."

"That's not…Well, I'm surprised by that too, but…Me? Really?"

Silence. Yongsun looked down, embarrassed, then to the side, and up again, "Sorry, I thought you'd like to. My bad. I'll just..."

"Yes," Byul blurted out, a bit louder than intended. One of the girls from the group close to them looked up but quickly turned her attention back to her conversation. Yongsun had a tiny smile on her face, like she wanted to smile but wasn't sure if she could.

"Yes?"

"Yes, totally. Please. I mean, sure. But only if you let me pay you back with another drink. Another day, I mean. If you'd like."

Yongsun was really smiling now. She looked stunning. "You were a lot more articulate before."

"I'm not used to gorgeous people asking me out first," she replied with a grin, then froze. "Did I just call you gorgeous out loud?"

"You did. Very flattering," she chuckled, fishing her phone out of her purse. She was still wearing her outfit for the recording, light pink blouse and white pants, but she had a leather jacket around her shoulders. "I'll just let Eric know I'm taking his bodyguard for the night."

"Okay," Byul said, wondering when did her life turn into a late-night drama. "Maybe I should let Gyu know, too? He's my superior."

Yongsun put her phone away again and smirked, "Eric says it's fine. Listen to the boss. So, shall we go?"

"Yeah," Byul flailed around, throwing her arms to the side as if showing the way even though she had no idea where they were supposed to go. "I mean, wait," she hesitated, and Yongsun turned to her, listening. "I just need to ask. You and, er, Eric...?"

"Friends. Not quite very good friends yet, but hoping to reach best friends level someday," Yongsun answered, taking the precaution to lower her voice - even though they were basically whispering to each other the whole time. "We did talk about trying something else but it just doesn't click. Feels wrong, somehow. For both of us."

Byul nodded. She felt her face hot again, but she didn't look away. She smiled, happily, and much more confident now. "So," she put her hands in her pockets. "Where to now?"

Yongsun perked up, smiling so brightly Byul felt like she could go around jumping with all the energy she felt surging through her own body, "Oh, I know a lovely place. I'll drive."

"I'm right behind you."


End file.
